Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 670 pages
Author: Callie Hart
Publisher: Counterattack Publishing
Release Date: June 4th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Do not touch the sword.
Do not turn the key.
Do not open the gate.

In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn’t much a girl wouldn’t do for a glass of water.

Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses, or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen’s reservoirs for as long as she can remember.

But a secret is like a knot.
Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone.

When Saeris comes face-to-face with Death himself, she inadvertently reopens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, of legend, of nightmares…but it turns out they’re real, and Saeris has landed herself right in the middle of a centuries-long conflict that might just get her killed.

The first of her kind to tread the frozen mountains of Yvelia in over a thousand years, Saeris mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior, who has secrets and nefarious agendas of his own. He will use her Alchemist’s magic to protect his people, no matter what it costs him… or her.

Death has a name.
It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate.
His past is murky.
His attitude stinks.
And he’s the only way Saeris is going to make it home.

Be careful of the deals you make, dear child.
The devil is in the details…
N.B. Quicksilver contains depictions of graphic violence/adult situations and is therefore recommended for readers 17+. For a full list of tropes and TWs, please visit the author’s website.

WORTH THE HYPE.

I took the plunge and read this thick beast of a book and I loved it!! I was going to go with four stars originally because I did think it was a bit slow in the beginning. BUT, this turned out to have one of my favorite tropes that I don’t often talk about (because it’s often not written well). Quicksilver was definitely the exception to this rule and I loved how the romance played out.

I also loved all of the characters honestly. The good and bad guys. I love distinct voices and thoughts and reasonings and all of these characters delivered in that department. The world building was excellent and I adored the little additions that kept being added as the book went on. I was increasingly glued to my screen with a need to know.

The magic system had my attention and I loved how complex it was without feeling overwhelming. I had a good time with the entire book and I love the space created for the next installment.

Overall audience notes:

• Fantasy Romance
• Language: high
• Romance: 3+ open door scenes
• Violence: high
• Content Warnings: blood/gore depiction, murder, torture, loss of life, war themes

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